The first time I saw a young Tibetan monk walk past me in crimson robes, mirrored sunglasses, and chunky sneakers, I paused—not because it felt out of place, but because it felt right. That moment cracked something open in me.

It wasn’t contradiction—it was clarity.
A refusal to choose between the sacred and the subversive.

That’s when I first encountered the spirit of what I’ve come to call Monk Punk—a fierce, unapologetic collision of devotion and rebellion. Not a fashion trend. Not an aesthetic gimmick. A way of living, being, resisting.

So, What Is Monk Punk?

Monk Punk is what happens when centuries of Tibetan spiritual discipline collide with the raw, gritty defiance of global counterculture.
It’s mantras and megaphones.
It’s boots and prayer beads.
It’s wearing your ancestors’ symbols like armor and setting your own path ablaze.

It’s not soft spirituality. It’s sacred rage.
It’s not about looking traditional. It’s about being unshakably rooted while refusing to be boxed in.

It’s monks chanting in exile.
It’s youth wearing chubas with Air Force 1s.
It’s thangka art reimagined in neon graffiti.

Monk Punk says:
I’ll keep the mantra, and flip the system.
I’ll carry the past and call out the present.
I’ll meditate and protest—sometimes in the same breath.

A Culture That’s Always Been Rebel

There’s a Western fantasy about Tibet: serene monks, peaceful mountains, frozen in time. But that’s just the postcard version.

The real Tibet pulses with tension—faith and fire, discipline and defiance. For generations, Tibetan people have resisted colonization, cultural erasure, and exile. And that resistance shows up in everything—from art and music to the way they wear their jewelry.

In Tibetan tradition, wearing a coral talisman isn’t a style choice—it’s protection. A turquoise ring isn’t “pretty”—it’s power. Jewelry is spiritual armor. Public testimony. An act of remembrance. Sometimes, a quiet rebellion. Other times, not so quiet.

And that’s the soul of Monk Punk. It’s not about mixing East and West. It’s about rising from within heritage with teeth bared.

Punk Isn’t Just Western

Let’s be clear—punk didn’t start and end with Sid Vicious or CBGB’s. Punk is a global language of refusal. In Tibet, it speaks through youth collectives like Yakpo, in exile artists like Tenzing Rigdol, in traditional songs whispered behind closed doors because they’re banned in public.

Punk is telling the truth when the truth is dangerous.
It’s claiming the sacred when it’s being commodified.
It’s dressing how your ancestors dressed—and refusing to apologize for it.

And sometimes it looks like a monk with gold teeth and a Bluetooth speaker blasting protest rap.

That’s Monk Punk.

Orientra: Jewelry With a Spine

Tsering and I never set out to make fashion. We wanted to make statements. She brought the fire of traditional Tibetan craft. I brought the hunger for something real in a world of soulless trends. Together, we built Orientra around pieces that feel like power.

Every ring, every pendant, every etched mantra—we don’t design them to be gendered, trendy, or tamed.
We design them to protect, provoke, and empower.

Because the people we design for?
They aren’t passive wearers.
They’re spirit-keepers. Truth-speakers. Rule-breakers.
They’re Monk Punk.

Not Just Jewelry—A Movement

In today’s world of over-curated feeds and watered-down identities, Monk Punk cuts through the noise. It tells you:
You don’t have to choose between being spiritual and being loud.
You don’t have to trade tradition for trend.
You can pray and protest.
You can wear the past like a war cry.

So if you’ve ever felt too wild for the temple and too deep for the riot—
This is your movement.
This is your look.
This is your lineage.

Be bold. Be sacred. Be Monk Punk.

—Clara
Co-Founder of Orientra
Designer, Seeker, Rebel with a Rosary